Revenge of a Fallen Hero
by prehistoric-huntress
Summary: Percy finally decides to pop the question after dating Annabeth for 4 years. But their plans are interrupted when a certain someone, originally presumed to be dead, comes to collect his revenge on Percy. Will Percabeth survive this scary ordeal? (All rights and credit for the cover photo goes to: Kat-Anni from deviantart; photo: Defeated.)
1. I'm Almost Used For Target Practice

Hello! This is my first fanfic. Review, but be honest, but don't be harsh. If there's a word I skipped or I misspelled, please tell me! I can't help it, I'm a perfectionist. If you like it, let me know, to see if it's worth continuing. If you've got any suggestions, don't be shy and let me know. I'm really excited and proud over my first chapter, because I honestly think it came out good and I hope you agree. So, instead of wasting your time reading this, I'll let you go so you can continue on to the good stuff. WAIT!

**I do not own Percy Jackson or any other characters. (sucky, right?) And I here by declare that you enjoy this story. **

1. I'm Almost Used For Target Practice

**Prologue**

**I do NOT own this prologue**

(This is a piece from the final battle from The Last Olympian)

**Kronos rose to one knee. His hair smoldered. His face was covered with electrical burns. He reached for his sword, but this time it didn't fly into his hands. **

"**Nakamura!" he groaned. "Time to prove yourself. You know Jackson's secret weakness. Kill him, and you will have rewards beyond measure."**

**Ethan's eyes dropped to my midsection and I was sure that he knew. Even if he couldn't kill me himself, all he had to do was tell Kronos. There was no way I could defend myself forever.**

"**Look around you, Ethan," I said. "The end of the world. Is this the reward you want? Do you really want everything destroyed—the good with the bad? **_**Everything**_**?"**

**Grover was almost to Annabeth now. The grass thickened on the floor. The roots were almost a foot long, like a stubble of whiskers.**

"**There is no throne to Nemesis," Ethan muttered. "No throne to my mother."**

"**That's right!" Kronos tried to get up, but stumbled. Above his left ear, a patch of blond hair still smoldered. **

"**Strike them down! They deserve to suffer."**

"**You said your mom is the goddess of balance," I reminded him. "The minor gods deserve better, Ethan, but total destruction isn't **_**balance**_**. Kronos doesn't build. He only destroys."**

**Ethan looked at the sizzling throne of Hephaestus. Grover's music kept playing, and Ethan swayed to it, as if the song were filling him with nostalgia—a wish to see a beautiful day, to be anywhere but here. His good eye blinked. **

**Then he charged… but not at me.**

**While Kronos was still on his knees, Ethan brought down his sword on the Titan lord's neck. It should have killed him instantly, but the blade shattered. Ethan fell back, grasping his stomach. A shard of his own blade had ricocheted and pierced his armor.**

**Kronos rose unsteadily, towering over his servant.**

"**Treason," he snarled.**

**Grover's music kept playing, and grass grew around Ethan's body. Ethan stared at me, his face tight with pain.**

"**Deserve better," he gasped. "If they just… had thrones—"**

**Kronos stomped his foot, and the floor ruptured around Ethan Nakamura. The son of Nemesis fell through a fissure that went straight through the heart of the mountain—straight into open air.**

(Here, my story begins. Still I do not own Percy Jackson… sadly)

It was a hot, summer day and all you could hear was the clanging of swords, the pegasi whining, and chariots being tested for the big race we always have here in Camp Half-Blood, not to mention the monsters in the forest. There were knew faces all over camp. They flooded the camp after the gods kept their promise and claimed their children. And to my surprise, campers were still pouring in. The gods must get… busy a lot. I laid back on the porch. I had to fill in the position for Chiron, since Grover needed some help. Apparently some demigods were becoming hard to handle and Chiron, being the helping hand, stepped in to Grover's aid; leaving me and Annabeth in charge of camp until he came back.

Today, I was the lead counselor, since Annabeth was up on Olympus creating a shrine to Aphrodite's desire. And I don't think Annabeth was bothered by doing her the favor. Tyson would often visit, but his duty was always down in our dad's underwater palace. Today wasn't a day he visited, so I was alone.

"Good lord! Do not run through the- ugh! I swear, one of these days Chiron will find demigods pushing up daisies if these… _children_ don't stop messing with my grapes," Mr. D cursed. I couldn't help but crack a smile at him. When he noticed my grinning, he cursed at me in Greek and walked inside the Big House. Mr. D was only 46 years away from leaving this camp. Too bad I might not be alive to witness that glorious moment.

I closed my eyes for a minute, bored that nothing exciting was happening. And to be honest, watching Peleus doze off was making me kind of sleepy. All of a sudden, I hear a slight thud. I opened one eye to see a kid with wide eyes and a grin. I raised an eyebrow and when I looked to my side, an arrow was notched into the rail of the porch, about an inch away from my elbow.

"Stephen, how many times do I have to tell you, if you're going to do archery, point the bow at the target!" I said, pulling out the arrow and handing it to him as he neared the porch.

"I'm sorry, counselor Percy," he said in a sad tone with his famous puppy eyes. But I knew too well, he was faking the whole act.

"It better not happen again," I scolded. I was shocked when I realized I was beginning to sound like Chiron.

"Uh… just aim at the yellow in the middle, k little man?" I said. His grin grew impossibly wide and he lifted his stubby little finger and pointed it at me. I was confused… until I saw my shirt.

"Stephen…" I said in a warning voice. "Just because my shirt happens to be yellow doesn't mean it can be used as a target!" I said. His grin stayed plastered on his face.

"Did you tell Kronos that he couldn't target you because your shirt was a certain color?" Stephen asked, showing his bleach-white teeth.

"You- don't- Stephen, Kronos was a different matter," I said. I received a short flashback of those days where the war was raging on with the relentless Lord Kronos.

"Because your shirt was a different color?" Stephen laughed.

"Just… go," I said, pointing towards the archery range. He nodded and ran away. I rolled my eyes. I sat back and took a nice nap the rest of the day when a familiar voice woke me up.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said, planting a small kiss on my cheek.

"You finished Aphrodite's shrine already?" I asked, as she sat on the other chair on the porch.

"Well, I didn't. I only built half of it and left the blueprints to the satyrs. Hera was giving me the eye and well… I thought it'd be safer for me if I was elsewhere."

"She's still got that grudge against you?" Annabeth nodded.

"Anyways, how's the camp been?" Annabeth asked, taking a look to see if I hadn't burned it down.

"Fine, except for the moment I almost got an arrow wedged between my eyes," I said. Annabeth laughed. I was shocked she found my near-death experience funny. But then again, everything for me was a near-death experience. I guess, people have just gotten used to it.

"Stephen?" she asked. I nodded and she rolled her eyes in understanding.

"When is Chiron coming back?" Annabeth asked, leaning lazily against the table where Chiron and Mr. D usually played chess.

"He said he would be back in-" I was cut off when there was a tremor strong enough to move the table a few inches and all the chess pieces fell to the floor. Annabeth gasped and grabbed the table. The quake stopped after just a few seconds.

"What was that?" I asked, always clueless about things. Although I thought it was normal for earthquakes to occur, anything supernatural that happened had to do with the gods.

"I'm… I'm not sure. We rarely get earthquakes here," Annabeth said. The look on her face was as if she was surfing through her mind trying to rationalize what had just happened. I have to admit, I was a little worried that she didn't know what was happening. If I didn't know, pfft, that's something normal and you wouldn't have to be a psychic to know I was clueless, but with Annabeth? That was something rarely seen.

"Well, it was just an earthquake, right? No big deal. We've dealt with worse," I said, shrugging the unexpected tremor. Reluctance stained Annabeth's eyes, but she then shrugged it off as well.

I scanned the camp, to see if the earthquake had stirred any unwanted fights or panic, but to my laid-back relief, there was none. My eyes somehow managed to land upon Annabeth once more. Her golden hair was in luscious tussles, framing her face perfectly. The sunlight was streaming into her stunningly grey eyes, as she boringly watched the camp. And that's when I realized something I never even thought of before. We were together for four years now. We lived together in a small apartment. We saved the world several times together. And suddenly I remembered all those tiny hints a bunch of our friends would mistakenly blurt out; which I'm beginning to think, it wasn't much of a mistake. I was thinking that it might just be the time, to finally pop the question.

(Please be honest, what did you think of it?)


	2. Someone Steals My Horn

**Thank you guys for reviewing! I'm really glad you guys enjoyed the first chapter! Here's the second one, and no I still do not own Percy Jackson :( I hope you enjoy this chap as much as you enjoyed the first one. Please review!**

2. Someone Steals My Horn

At Camp Half Blood, every day is a sunny one and I don't think I need to describe it all the time. Only difference today, was that it was Capture the Flag. Annabeth was signaling out the teams, ignoring the protests of a couple of the kids. Grover and Chiron had returned late last night with another Mrs. Dodds flittering behind them. Oh, how I don't miss those days. They were one brother and one sister. Their parents are still unclear because they are only eight and nine years old. I guess their parent hasn't gotten around to claiming them yet. So, they are staying in cabin eleven for now. Chiron is explaining the dos and don'ts of being a demigod, so he left Annabeth and me in charge of putting the teams together. Of course, I decided to lay back and watch Annabeth do double the work since we've always had different ideas for making the teams.

"I'd hate to be one of those kids right now," Grover said, chewing on a soda can. "Having to deal with those monsters Chiron let loose this morning. Oh, this is Daedalus all over again."

"Relax, man. They aren't overgrown scorpions this time and no one will be pushed into the Labyrinth," I said, tapping his shoulder with my fist. He glanced at me, chewing his tin can more ferociously. I guessed he was remembering all those moments we had in the labyrinth. Not to mention the ones he experienced when we split inside that maze. He never really spoke about it.

Chiron clopped out from the Big House with the two demigods following behind. He nodded towards me and Grover and walked down towards where Annabeth was yelling the orders and trying to keep them under control. Chiron murmured a few words to Annabeth and she came strolling back towards the Big House as Chiron took over the Capture the Flag activity. All I could think was poor new demigods. This was torture on their soul to play Capture the Flag their first day at camp. I sent a silent prayer to my dad that these kids survive it.

"Hey Percy. Hey Grover," Annabeth said, sitting down next to me. Annabeth looked at me.

"Don't think I didn't notice what you did. Leaving me to deal with those unbearable kids," Annabeth said, cocking her eyebrows. I sent her a grin. She scoffed. Watching her get annoyed seemed kind of cute to me. Not that it hadn't before, but it seemed cuter this time. Then my heart hammered when I remembered that thought I had yesterday.

"Hey, Annie, I broke the sole of my shoe, do you think you can get me another pair from my cabin for me?" I asked. Annabeth turned to me.

"Why don't you get it yourself, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth asked jokingly.

"See, that's the point. I'll burn my foot walking over there," I said, trying to sound convincing.

"Oh, come on, let me see," she said, standing up to check my shoe.

"You don't have to," I said, reaching down to break my shoe. She walked around and knelt down. I was able to break it in time.

"See?" I said, showing her the big hole in my shoe. She sighed.

"I'll be right back, then," she said, ruffling my hair and leaving the porch. I let out a sigh of relief and put my foot down again.

"Ow!" I cried. When I looked at the hole of my shoe, there was a huge splinter dug deep into my skin. Well, that didn't work out exactly as I planned, but at least it got Annabeth to leave for a moment. As I pulled it out Grover raised an eyebrow at me. I leaned forward to make sure Annabeth was out of earshot.

"Your shoe broke?" Grover asked, picking up another tin can.

"I know, I know. Listen, I wanted to ask you something important, G," I said. Grover leaned in. I realized then, I didn't know how to bring up the subject. My hands felt a tad bit sweaty just trying to get the words on my tongue.

"Do- I mean- I was thinking that-" I sighed.

"Ye-e-e-es?" Grover bleated.

"Don't do that. You sound like a goat when you do that," I said. Then I realized just how stupid I was for saying that. Grover's eyes bore into my face. I just grinned at my own stupidity.

"Grover, I'm just going to say it. Do you think I should ask Annabeth to marry me?" I asked. I tightened my hands into fists, waiting for Grover to start cracking up, but when I looked at him; his eyes were over flooded with excitement.

"Percy, are you serious? Marriage?" Grover yelled in excitement. I slapped my hand over his mouth as he trembled with excitement.

"Any louder?" I said, cautiously taking my hand off his mouth.

"I'm sorry, Percy… But it's so cool!" he said with a wide smile.

"But do you think-" I shut my mouth when I saw Annabeth walking back up towards the porch with a pair of shoes in her hands and a worried look on her face.

"Keep your mouth shut, k man?" I said to Grover as Annabeth walked up the porch steps.

"Percy? I need to tell you something," Annabeth said in a serious voice, placing my shoes on the table. I nodded and cast a nervous glance towards Grover. Had she overheard something? I really hope not. She stretched out her hand and I slid mine into hers. She walked to the other side of the porch, with me trailing behind.

"Percy," she said seriously. She was starting to scare me. "Your Minotaur horn is gone." My eyes opened wide in surprise. I waited for her to crack up laughing, but she was dead serious.

"What?" I yelled. I was shocked. "Wait here. I'll be right back. I have to check this out," I said. I turned and sprinted towards my cabin. I felt a slight burn under my foot. That was the worst excuse I used to distract Annabeth. It really backfired on me. I finally reached my cabin. I opened the door and ran inside. There, directly above my bed, where the Minotaur horn should be, was empty. My heart leaped out of my chest. No one ever touched it except Tyson, Annabeth, and Grover and of course me. But none of my friends would take. I was sure of that. All I knew was that someone broke into my cabin and stole the horn.

I rummaged threw my drawers, just in case someone was playing some practical joke on me, but the horn was officially gone. I slowly walked outside and sat down in front of the door. I felt violated just thinking someone touched one of my most prized possessions. I sat there and tried to think of someone who might have it in for me and just decided to hurt me by stealing a precious memory of the past. I sighed. I wanted to go running and search for my horn, but I just had nowhere to begin. My head was buried in my hands when I heard a familiar voice.

"Hey Percy," a voice said. I glanced up to see a much older Nico walking towards me. I was glad to see him, but the look on his face was like a copy of Annabeth's. He had some serious news and since his father was Hades, the news wasn't always the best.

"Hey," I said stretching out and resting my arms on my knees.

"Percy, something's happened. Something my father isn't really happy about," he said, sitting down next to me. He passed his fingers through his hair as if the news was hard to say. I didn't say anything.

"Someone's escaped the Underworld… alive." My head snapped towards Nico, who was looking at the ground.

"What? How is that even possible?" I asked. Nico looked towards me as if I should know. I was about to ask why he was looking at me like that, when it dawned on me. Twice I'd gone to the Underworld and survived; Nico accompanying me the second time.

"Oh. Right," I said.

"Anyways, my dad wasn't very happy about it. He caused an earthquake that shook three states. Luckily Persephone was there to calm him down. Otherwise, there would've been a lot more damage." Something clicked inside me when he mentioned "earthquake".

"Your dad caused that earthquake?" I asked.

"Yeah. Look, I can't stay for very long since we're trying to find leads on who escaped. Charon was able to give us a description, though. He had black hair and an eye patch, but that was it. Charon wasn't exactly much help. Anyways, I just came to ask you to keep an eye out for someone you think died or should've been dead. If that happens, send me an Iris-message and let me know. It's really important that we find that escapee," Nico said, barely meeting my eyes. When he mentioned the escapee's description, something seemed familiar, but I couldn't exactly remember. I ignored it, since it could've been just some random stranger on the street I saw a few days ago. I wouldn't remember a face.

"Nico, are you okay? You're acting a little weird," I said, noticing his lack of eye contact.

"I'm fine; my dad's just giving me a hard time about it. As if it was my fault or something. Just promise me you'll tell me if you've got any ideas."

"I promise," I said, bumping him with my shoulder. He chuckled.

"Well, I got to go now. See ya."

"See ya," I said as he disappeared into the forest.


	3. I Fish Out A Little Box

**Thank you for the reviews. I hope this one is good. This chapter, though, is centered mostly around one subject. I promise, the next chap will most likely have more things happening than this. Also, a lot more interesting (if I'm a good writer, that is). I'd like feedback on this chapter. Thanks and please enjoy! Nothing is sick-minded here, just in case...! :D**

3. I Fish Out A Little Box

Annabeth was sitting across the apartment's living room polishing her favorite knife. Her grey eyes intent on the knife that had saved Olympus. I smiled. She looked beautiful when she polished her knife. My hand slid inside my pocket as I watched from the kitchen. I felt the small tiny ring box and my heart hammered. I knew that inside that little box was a ring I'd slide onto her finger if she said yes. But that's what I was afraid of; _if_ she said yes.

I was sitting at the kitchen table, trying to work up the nerve to set things in motion. Taking a glance towards Annabeth, making sure she couldn't see me, I grabbed her phone and dialed camp.

"_Hello?" _someone answered cautiously.

"Chiron?" I whispered.

"_Percy, is something wrong?" _Chiron asked worriedly.

"No, no, but can you send Blackjack over here?"

"_Percy, I'm not sure that's a very good idea. It could be dangerous."_

"Chiron, please. It's very important," I pleaded. Chiron sighed.

"_Okay then, Percy. But be careful."_

"You got it. Thanks Chiron," I said, quickly hanging up. I exhaled. I hadn't done anything yet, and I was still freaking out. I collected my cool and walked into the living room.

"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to, uh... I don't know. You want to go to the Gateway Arch…?" I asked, sitting down next to her and running my fingers through her hair. She put the knife down and flashed me a smile as big as day.

"Are you serious, Percy? Really?" she asked excitedly.

"Sure, babe," I said. She tackled me in a hug and we fell to the floor. She laughed as she attacked my face with kisses. The last time we'd gone to the Gateway Arch it was about seven years ago? When we were stashed into a cart with a fat lady, who happened to be Echidna, and her Chihuahua and when her "nice" little Chihuahua turned into a rabid, fire-breathing, poisonous Chimera. I can tell you, I've never gone near another Chihuahua since.

"But how are we getting there?" Annabeth asked. I smiled. I grabbed her waist and rolled until I was the one on top of her.

"Don't I always have a plan?" I asked. She raised an eyebrow.

"Percy, your plans almost never work," she said.

"I love how much faith you have in me," I said dramatically. "But I do have a plan…" I thought. "that works," I corrected. I added a goofy grin to accompany what I'd said and Annabeth laughed.

_Knock, knock, boss! _I smiled.

"My plan has just arrived," I said, standing up and pulling Annabeth back up to her feet. She had a confused expression on her face, but she didn't say anything. We crawled out the window and walked up the stairs to the terrace. Blackjack stood there waiting for us. He clopped his hooves against the cement in excitement when he saw us. Annabeth laughed.

"Okay, _maybe_ I was… um… maybe I was…" Annabeth hesitated. I put my finger under her chin and moved her head until her grey eyes were staring at mine.

"You were…?" I asked innocently. She smiled.

"Wroooo- wroo- wrong," Annabeth finally said. I smiled.

"I know," I said, giving her a peck on the lips.

_Yo, boss! Long time no see!_

"I saw you yesterday," I said, as Annabeth jumped up on Blackjack.

_So what's you're point? _I just rolled my eyes. I jumped up, put my hands around Annabeth and held on to Blackjack's mane so we wouldn't fall off.

"Gateway Arch, Blackjack," I said and Blackjack took off soaring into the air. After a while, we saw a familiar arch. Annabeth squealed. Blackjack settled down on the terrace of a random building and we jumped off.

_See ya later, boss!_

"See ya Blackjack," I said as he took off again.

"See you!" Annabeth said as she entwined her fingers with mine and we calmly made our way towards the Gateway Arch. Annabeth getting more excited the closer we got. When we entered the museum Annabeth started jumping up and down like she was a little girl again.

"Percy, this is so cool. I'm so glad you brought me-" Annabeth stopped. A confused expression crossed her face and she looked at me.

"Why did you bring me here? I mean, we don't usually go out unexpectedly," Annabeth said. I freaked out. I didn't know what to tell her.

"I wanted to rekindle a lost memory," I lied. She scoffed.

"You want to rekindle the memory about a Chihuahua almost killing you, destroying a monument and you jumping off not knowing if you would survive the fall or not?" Annabeth asked, raising an eyebrow. I decided to quickly change the subject.

"Hey, look! They added how they fixed the arch after the Chimera ruined it. Wanna look?" I said, pulling her forward and showing her one of those tiny podiums full of information. She was about to protest when she started reading. I let go a quiet sigh of relief. After she towed me around the museum spewing all kinds of facts about the arch and other structures we finally made it to the elevator; the tiny cart that would curve and take us to the top.

Annabeth's smile never faded, which I was glad about. The elevator doors slid open. We climbed inside, and to my relief no one climbed in with us. As the elevator moved, a grabbed my stomach and closed my eyes to keep me from getting queasy. Annabeth giggled.

"You okay?" Annabeth laughed as she put her hand on my shoulder. Instead of talking, I simply nodded. By the time we had reached the top, I was leaning slightly on Annabeth. The elevator doors opened and the tour guide started explaining about how the arch had been fixed after a misfortunate accident (a.k.a Chimera). Then the tour guide's eyes suddenly opened wide.

"Hey, aren't you that kid that supposedly blew up the arch? The wanted fugitive that turned out to be a kidnapped kid?" the tour guide asked. I chuckled nervously.

"Well, that depends…" I chuckled quietly. The tour guide eyed me.

"Yeah! It is you! And- hey! You were the blonde girl that was with him and there was also another guy… looked a little bit older than you two. The one with the funny limp," he said, getting excited and creasing his brows as he tried to remember. Annabeth and I looked at each other and a swift memory pulsated between us.

"Yes, that was us," Annabeth said.

"Yeah, I thought you two looked familiar. Anyways, over here…" he trailed off, showing us some buildings through the windows. Annabeth and I just laughed. At the end of the observation deck Annabeth stared out a window, I guessed remembering when we had come so long ago.

All of a sudden my hands felt a little sweaty and my hand instinctively crawled inside my pocket to feel the little box. This was it. This was the moment. Taking in a sharp breath I grabbed her hand. She reluctantly removed her gaze from the window and looked at me with a slight smile.

"Annabeth… There is a reason why we came here," I began. She raised an eyebrow, but waited for me to continue.

"I wanted to ask you something. Something important."

"Yes?" Annabeth asked, almost like a song.

"Annabeth, we've been through a lot and I thought it was time…" I said, as I fished for the little box inside my pocket. Annabeth's eyes grew wide in shock when I pulled it out. Just like the movies, I knelt on one knee and opened the little box. Annabeth turned bright red and her jaw dropped.

"Annabeth… will you marry me?"


	4. Dessert Blows Up In My Face

**Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate it! The suspense is still building up for that one chap where it all goes south. So, be patient! We're getting there! Please review!**

4. Dessert Blows Up In My Face

She just stared at me, wide-eyed. I bit my lip as the seconds passed.

"Percy, I… I mean- I don't- I just can't-" Annabeth said; beginning a sentence, but not finishing it. The words "don't" and "can't" made me freak out, but I kept a brave face. Annabeth let go a frustrated sigh.

"Annabeth…? I mean, do you…?" I said softly, afraid of the answer. Then, a huge smile grew upon her face.

"Oh Percy! Yes! Yes, I want to marry you!" Annabeth laughed excitedly. I let go a sigh of relief. I stood up and she embraced me in a hug that could break my bones. She then put her soft hands around my neck and gave me the kiss of the century. My heart was doing summersaults. I was… engaged. The thought seemed surreal to me.

"Here," I said, grabbing the ring and sliding it onto her finger. Annabeth was biting her lips as it clung to her finger. She looked up at me with her grey eyes.

"I love you," she whispered. I smiled.

"Ditto," I said, giving her another kiss.

We left the Gateway Arch, with a quick congratulation from our tour guide who had heard me pop the question. I called Blackjack and he picked us up at the same place he'd dropped us off this morning.

"You can take us back to camp, Blackjack. I got some news," I said, as Blackjack took off.

_You got it, boss!_

"Would you stop calling me boss!" I said. Annabeth laughed and Blackjack whined.

_I'll stop… boss._ Blackjack made a noise that sounded suspiciously like laughter… I rolled my eyes.

"You know, you sound like an idiot when you laugh," I said. Blackjack looked back at me and then he did a twirl in the air. Annabeth screamed and we held on to Blackjack for dear life.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry!" I said and Blackjack huffed.

"Percy, would you stop taunting Blackjack. I will not die because you insulted a horse. No offense," Annabeth said, softly touching his mane.

"Yes, dear," I said jokingly. After a few minutes a familiar house was in view. Blackjack landed at the stables and we got off.

"Thanks, boy," I said, rubbing his mane. He stomped his foot in delight. Then Annabeth and I made our way towards the Big House where Chiron and Mr. D were relaxing.

"Hey, Chiron. Hey Mr. D," Annabeth said, touching her cheek with her left hand. I raised an eyebrow.

"Hello, Annabeth, Percy," Chiron said. Mr. D waved his hand unenthusiastically. He didn't care if we were dead or alive. Annabeth frowned.

"Anything new in camp?" Annabeth asked, putting her hands on the table in front of Chiron.

"No, nothing new," Chiron said organizing the chest pieces. Annabeth sighed.

"Chiron! I'm engaged!" she said, swinging her hand in front of Chiron. Chiron laughed.

"I know! I saw it the first time! Congratulations!" Chiron chuckled, taking a look at Annabeth's ring. I laughed.

"Yes, yes. How could you possibly miss it?" Mr. D said annoyed. After we exchanged a few words with Chiron and did some training with some news demigods down at the gym we left for home.

"I think I'm in the mood to bake," Annabeth said as she walked into the apartment.

"Oh no! Please no! We're not even married yet! Why?" I said dramatically, grabbing my neck as if I was suffocating.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, Percy. But you're gonna eat whether it tastes good or not!" Annabeth said, walking into our bedroom. I laughed and sat on the couch. After a few minutes, Annabeth came out from the room in a different set of clothes and went to kitchen. I heard stuff clanking and falling as she prepared to cook. I turned on the TV. The remote was covered in dust, since we never use the TV. About half an hour later Annabeth called me into the kitchen.

There was something that… well, I thought it looked like a pie; a very misshapen pie, but a pie. I glanced at Annabeth who had a huge grin on her face. Knowing her, I decided to trust my instincts and not say anything. I would be dead if I said it looked like something else. A word of advice: when Annabeth cooks, never, _ever_ guess what kind of food it is. Looks can be deceiving.

"It's a cake," Annabeth said. See? I told you. Never trust your vision when Annabeth cooks.

"Here," she said, handing me a spoon. "Try it," she said, gesturing towards the "cake". As soon as I touched it, it practically exploded and covered me in frosting. I was shocked.

"How… how did that even happen?" I said, wiping frosting off my eyes. Annabeth guffawed.

"You look ridiculous! Go take a shower!" she said. I raised an eyebrow. After so many failed attempts and so many showers followed by those failed attempts, I wasn't going to leave without some satisfaction. A cynical smile grew on my face. She wasn't getting off that easy.

"Oh, but sweetie, I love you so much," I said, stretching out my arms to give her a nice, big, loving hug.

"Don't you dare!" she screamed, running to the other side of the table. I laughed.

"Fine, I'll take a shower. Just promise me you won't cook," I said, putting my hands together in angelic form. She scoffed. I went to our small bathroom, stripped and took a shower. From the shower, I heard a sound as if someone knocking on the door, but since I was in the shower, Annabeth would answer it. Less than a minute later Annabeth calls me.

"Percy! Come here!" she said. She sounded worried and a little but scared. Rinsing my hair one more time, I get out of the shower, wrap myself in a towel and walk into the living room where Annabeth was staring at a piece of paper. In her other hand, she held an object. It looked really familiar. When I got closer she looked up at me. That's when I realized what the object was.

"I think you need to see this," she said, handing me the paper and… my Minotaur horn. I grabbed the crinkled piece of paper and the horn. I also noticed that the horn had something written on it: STILL GOT THAT BLONDE CONCUBINE ON A LEASH? Anger flooded me. It poked and prodded its way into my thinking. All of a sudden, there was a sound of something exploding and water burst from the kitchen faucet.

"Percy! Stop!" Annabeth yelled. She put her hands on my shoulders and tried to calm me down. Slowly, the pool of water on the kitchen floor disappeared back into the sink.

"I'm angry too, but don't let whoever wrote that get to you," Annabeth said softly. I nodded and then looked down at the piece of paper.

So I see you got a happy ending.

I'm ecstatic for you.

But don't think it will last.

Because lies are not easily forgiven and forgotten.

P.S.

How does it feel when someone steals something from you?

"Percy, do you know what that means?" Annabeth asked, nervously touching her hair. I sat down next to her.

"A practical joke?" I said hopefully, but I knew I was wrong. This person who left the note was the same person who broke into my cabin and stole my horn, but who could it have been? I remembered when Nico came to visit me, practically hiding from his father. Could this have anything to do with it?

"Percy, this isn't a joke. When something like this happens, us half-bloods can't assume it's simply a practical joke. People die because of that," Annabeth said seriously. I sighed. About a year ago, some kid saw a monster. He thought it was one of his classmates dressed up to scare him. Let's just say... he never made it to Camp Half-Blood.

"I know, Annabeth, but we can figure it out. We always do," I said, putting my arm around her. She sighed and rested her head on my shoulder. My mind went into overdrive trying to figure out who could've done this, but I drew a blank.


	5. A God Appears On My Window Sill

**I'll be honest from the start, this chapter doesn't have much going on in it. The suspense will continue to the next chapter and then what everyone's been waiting for! The truth… will finally come out. That is, if everything goes according to plan. I ask that you please, please review and give me your opinion! This is the only chapter I've written without some help from the person who's helped me with my story. And now… you may continue on to the story. **

5. A God Appears On My Window Sill

The sun was blinding as it floated up in the sky. It seemed to hover right over Camp Half-Blood only. The camp was empty, faint whimpers filling the air. Annabeth was on the shore, facing the softly churning water. Then, she began walking over the clear surface. I was shocked that she wasn't sinking straight into it.

"Annabeth?" I said. She turned around. She had a drop of blood lining her face and she looked terrified. I gasped. She stretched out her hand, before she fell through the water's surface.

"Annabeth!" I yelled, running towards the shore. I dove in and saw Annabeth sinking to the bottom. Her eyes were closed and her hair floated around her face. I tried to swim towards her, but I didn't seem to move. I opened my mouth to yell and I realized I couldn't breathe. Bubbles streamed from my mouth as my scream was muffled by the water. Annabeth touched the bottom and seaweed sprouted from all sorts of places and wrapped around her until she disappeared. An evil laughter echoed through the water.

I woke with a start. Sweat dripping down my face.

"No!" I yelled, gasping for air. I felt like I had been holding my breath the whole time.

"Wha- what? Percy?" Annabeth mumbled as she stirred under the sheets. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. She looked over at me and she seemed to wake up.

"Percy, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly as she wiped the sweat off my cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt. I took in several deep breaths before being able to speak.

"Was it a bad dream?" Annabeth asked. She turned on the light on her nightstand. The dark room was illuminated.

"I'm fine," I said, putting my arms around her. I held her as if I could protect her from all the harm in the world. She hugged me back and she didn't say anything else. All of a sudden, there was a slight _thud!_ I took in a sharp breath.

"What was that?" Annabeth said, peeking out from my arms.

"I'm not sure," I said, letting her go and climbing out of bed. I tiptoed towards the window. There, on the window sill, a tiny figure stood. I picked up the figure. It was… human. No. I recognized this statue.

"Nemesis," I whispered.

"What?" Annabeth asked. She climbed out of bed and walked over to me. She grabbed my hand and pulled it closer so she could see the figure I was holding.

"I don't get it," she said. "Why would this be here?"

I pursed my lips then sighed.

"Honestly, I don't know," I said, putting it back down.

"Percy, this is scaring me," Annabeth said, staring directly out the window. I embraced her.

"Don't worry. Everything will be okay," I said to her. I would never admit it, but I was beginning to feel a little bit scared. I was used to monsters and master plans to kill me, but this was different. This was something I couldn't fight; at least, not yet. This was hurting us and we couldn't see it.

The next morning, Annabeth and I went to Camp Half-Blood. The day was normal, just like every other day, but tension shrouded Annabeth and I like a cloud. We finally arrived, said hi to Peleus and walked towards the Big House.

"Mr. D, where's Chiron?" I asked.

"Hm?" he said absentmindedly.

"Where's Chiron?" I asked again, a little bit more annoyed.

"Oh, he's um… somewhere," Mr. D answered. I sighed. Annabeth seemed just as annoyed. I could tell by her expression, that if Mr. D wasn't a god, she'd say a thing or two to him. I softly squeezed her hand and she smiled. We left and went towards the archery range. We saw a familiar horse's rear as we approached the range, from quite a distance actually.

"Is it me or is his butt getting larger?" I asked trying to deflate this cloud over us with some humor but failing miserably. Annabeth glanced at me, a faint smile playing on her lips, but it never grew into a full-grown smile.

"Chiron!" Annabeth yelled. His tail flicked and he turned around.

"Annabeth! Percy! How are you?" he said, coming up to us.

"We're fine, but we need to talk to you," Annabeth said.

"Urgently," I added. He nodded.

"Young ones! Practice! I will be back in a moment!" Chiron said to the half-bloods in training. Some yelled in protest, others moaned and the rest were happy to keep shooting arrows.

"Is there something wrong?" Chiron asked softly, putting a hand on my back and Annabeth's leading us towards the Big House. Annabeth pursed her lips. We entered the Big House and that's when I told him.

"That's the point, Chiron. We don't know. Four days ago, someone stole my Minotaur horn. I thought maybe a camper was just playing some practical joke, but the horn never appeared. Yesterday afternoon, after we left, someone left it at our door with a note. On the horn, they called Annabeth a concubine," I said. Annabeth huffed.

"Sorry," I said. She just nodded for me to continue. "They wrote in the note that lies weren't easily forgiven or forgotten. Then, last night, a miniature statue of Nemesis appeared inside our room," I finished. I decided not to tell him about my dream. Chiron's expression was deep and thoughtful.

"It sounds like this person knows you," Chiron concluded.

"Chiron, I've never lied to anyone," I said. I felt the need to defend myself.

"I'm not accusing you of lying, Percy. But obviously, this person believes you did lie to him or her and is trying to send you a message," Chiron said.

"Well, what does Nemesis have to do with any of this?" Annabeth asked, leaning forward. Chiron ran his fingers swiftly through his beard, his eyebrows creased.

"I wish I held the answers, Annabeth," Chiron answered sadly.

"Chiron, do you think-" I sighed. I felt irritated with myself to think about it, but in my life, I learned you should keep every option available.

"Could Nico still have his mythomagic collection?" I asked.

"Percy!" Annabeth said shockingly.

"Percy, do you really think Nico could have something to do with this?" Chiron asked mystified that I would suggest one of my closest friends as a suspect. If I were him, I'd think the same thing. I'd think I was a rotten person who'd backstab his friends. I didn't want Nico to be the one that was hurting us, but if he was, the only thing I was thinking was, why? Annabeth sighed and let her head drop into her hands. I put my hand on her shoulder, but kept my eyes on Chiron.

"I don't want to think that way, Chiron, but he did, at one time, wish I wasn't alive," I mentioned. Then, as if someone telling me to believe otherwise, I remembered all the times Nico stood by me. When he came by my apartment on my birthday with the plan that saved Olympus. When he rescued me from the cell Hades had trapped me in. Of course, Nico was the one that led me into the Underworld in the first place, he corrected his error by saving me. I sighed. Chiron's brain must've been working overtime, since he wasn't saying much.

"Chiron, I know we haven't made plans, but could Annabeth and I stay in camp for a few days until we can solve this? I don't think our apartment is safe anymore," I said, squeezing softly Annabeth's shoulder. She looked up at Chiron.

"Of course, Percy," Chiron said warmly.

"Thank you, Chiron," Annabeth said, standing up and giving him a hug. I felt vulnerable, even though the Achilles curse still hung on my shoulders. The only thing that hurt me worse, was that Annabeth was being caught in the middle. This person apparently wants revenge on me, but has included Annabeth into the mix. That was probably what pissed me off the most.


	6. My Dead Friend Pays Me A Visit

**Sorry it took so long to upload, according to the usual time frame. Thanks for the favorites, but I'd really like some reviews please! Anyways, I hope you enjoy the story!**

6. My Dead Friend Pays Me A Visit

I sat on my bed, the note that was left at my doorstep flipping in my hands; the words on the paper still echoing inside my mind. _Lies are not easily forgiven and forgotten. _

I settled back into my cabin, temporarily of course. It felt a little weird being back in here. Two years I hadn't returned to my old cabin for the summer. After I turned eighteen, Annabeth and I decided we could do well on our own. Plus, it helped to know that we were always welcomed to Camp.

Annabeth sat across the room, reading one of her favorite books. Her head rested on one hand as she held the book with her free one. Every once in a while she'd sigh and shift in the seat, but otherwise her eyes were glued to the book. I let go of the note and grabbed my horn. Grabbing a napkin I tried to wipe off the offensive words written on it. Suddenly, Annabeth slammed the book closed and sighed.

"You okay?" I asked. She stood up and walked over to my bed. She sat next to me and rested her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her.

"It's just upsetting that whenever something amazing and exciting happens in our lives, someone tags along to ruin everything," Annabeth sighed. I rubbed her arm and kissed the top of her head. I didn't know what to say to her. I mean, there was nothing very comforting I could say.

"I'm sorry, Annabeth," I said, because I just didn't know what else to say. She looked up at me and smiled.

"Percy, this isn't your fault," she said, resting her hand on my cheek. Even though she said it, I couldn't help but still feel that I was responsible for this. She propped herself up and kissed me. She then pulled away softly and we locked eyes.

"I was thinking… maybe we should get married earlier than we planned," Annabeth said. I didn't know how to react to that. I really did want to marry her, but everything seemed to be moving so fast. I thought we would have time to process it, but maybe she was right.

"Well, how early do you mean?" I asked cautiously. I didn't want to send the message that I didn't want to get married, because I did.

"Tomorrow, two days tops," Annabeth answered. I gulped. Tomorrow? I was hoping for something like, a few weeks not a day.

"Tomorrow?" I asked. I cleared my throat noticing my voice was just a tad bit higher than usual.

"Percy, I know it seems very fast, but… if this ends badly…" she paused and closed her eyes as if she could picture one of us lying dead on the floor.

"I want us to be happy… if… something happens," she said quietly. I knew what she didn't want to say; if one of us died.

"I'm happy now," I said, pressing my lips against hers. The rest of the night was a sweet release from our harsh reality.

The next morning, Annabeth volunteered to supervise the sword training and step in whenever needed to. I accompanied Grover through the forest as he gave some important nature news to all the nature lovers in camp.

"Hey Grover, Annabeth and I were talking about maybe getting married in a few days," I said. I hoped maybe Grover could calm down my nerves or something.

"That's great, Percy! But why so soon?" Grover said.

"Remember about that stalker problem we're dealing with?"

"Yeah?"

"Annabeth thinks it might end badly. She wants us to be married already if something really does happen," I said. Grover's expression turned into extreme worry.

"Percy, if it's meant to happen, it will. You two have survived everything, even the Lord of Time!" Grover said. There was a slight hint of sadness in his voice as he went back in time to that terrible moment. I put my hand on his shoulder to let him know everything is okay and he smiled.

"You'll get married at one point or another. Doing it sooner than you expected isn't so bad," Grover said.

"I guess you're right." Grover bleated as I agreed.

"So, what will you wear for your… wedding?" Grover asked, smirking.

"Oh man, I didn't even think of that," I said, hitting my forehead with my palm. Grover laughed.

"I knew you didn't. Well, I happen to know a place where you can find the best suits in town," Grover said.

I followed him out of the forest. He gave a kiss to Juniper as we finally exited the forest. Grover went to tell Chiron that we'd be leaving for a few hours to find a suit. While he gave Chiron the news I went to tell Annabeth I was going out.

"Aren't you going to find your dress?" I asked.

"Percy, I'm the daughter of Athena. No need for you to worry about that," Annabeth said with a smile. She had a point.

"Well, since we're going to get married, I'll spread the news of the wedding while your away. I mean, there's no time for invitations," Annabeth laughed.

"Okay babe," I said, giving her a soft kiss. She smiled and a few of the younger demigods giggled.

"They look so cute!" I heard a little girl, about seven years old, say to her group of friends. I chuckled and left for the hill where Grover was already waiting for me. He wore a Yankee's cap and his famous fake feet.

"Let's go."

We entered a store that wasn't very big to be the best place to buy suits.

"Grover, I'm not going to _buy_ a suit. Can't I, like, borrow it or something?" I said.

"Yes, yes, you can. Come on," Grover said, pulling me further into the store. There was a medium-sized man standing in the back. His hair was taken over by globs of gel that held his hair back. He wore a very fancy black suit with a velvet tie. His nose was pointy and he looked like he had a permanent frown.

"How may I help you?" he said in a deep voice.

"My friend here needs a suit. He's the groom. Is there anything we could rent for a day?" Grover said, gesturing towards me. When he called me the groom, it was the weirdest thing in the world. The man looked over me. I suddenly felt underdressed. I was in a pair of worn-out jeans, a white T-shirt and sneakers. Compared to him, I must've looked like a homeless person.

"Yes… Well, we have this," he said, putting his long fingers on a rack holding about twenty suits.

"Thank you," Grover said as he began looking at the different suits that were on display. He handed me a black suit, similar to the one the man was wearing and sent me to the changing room. After I struggled with the tie (the tie winning) I came out.

"What do you think?" I asked, stretching out my arms.

"It would definitely look better if the tie was fixed, but it still seems a little big. Try this," he said, handing me another suit. I sighed and walked back into the changing room. On the small chair that was inside the room there was a broken sword.

"What the…?" I whispered, picking up the broken blade. I creased my eyebrows in confusion. How had this gotten here? Then as if this was the last puzzle piece everything clicked.

_Someone's escaped the Underworld… alive._

_Charon was able to give us a description, though. He had black hair and an eye patch. _

_It sounds like this person knows you._

_Well, what does Nemesis have to do with any of this?_

_The broken blade…_

"Can't be," I whispered. I stumbled backwards dropping the broken blade. It fell and clashed against the tiled floor. It rung softly through the store.

"Percy?" Grover asked. I fumbled with the changing room lock and held on to the doorframe. I looked at Grover.

"Percy, what's wrong?" Grover asked, rushing over to me.

"I know. I know who it is," I whispered.

"Who? Who is?" Grover asked frantically. I looked up at him.

"We have to go," I said. I swiftly changed, banging against the walls as I tried to get dressed as fast as possible. Grover waited for me outside. As we rushed to the camp I told Grover the whole story and who it was.

When we got there Peleus was blowing steam out from his nose as he glared towards the camp. Grover and I looked at each other confused. We ran up the hill. Grover kicked off his fake feet as he stumbled behind me.

When we reached the top of the hill, he was standing there; holding a knife to Annabeth's neck. Her eyes were wide and she was breathing so softly you could barely see the rise and fall of her chest. He tapped her chin with his knife and sent me a chilling smile.

"Hello, Percy," he greeted me. My hand twitched toward my pocket where Riptide still rested.

"Ethan Nakamura," I growled.


	7. My Uncoordinated Buddy Shoots An Arrow

7. My Uncoordinated Buddy Shoots An Arrow

The entire camp was empty and lifeless. Not a living soul in sight. I was afraid to think what he had done to them.

"Did you like my gifts?" Ethan chuckled. I balled my hands into fists.

"Hmm, I guess you didn't. I found them rather amusing though. Seeing you both wonder who it could be. And before I knew it, I had you running to dear old Chiron for refuge," Ethan said smugly. I bit back a comment.

"So, how has life been for you? Wonderful? Great? Spectacular?" Ethan said sarcastically.

"A lot better than yours, no doubt," I shot back. Ethan's face seemed to twitch.

"I wouldn't be so reckless seeing as how you're… beloved camp sweetheart has a dagger at her throat," Ethan said, rubbing the flat of the blade against Annabeth's cheek. She closed her eyes and clenched her fists. I knew she was resisting the urge to beat him to a pulp. But why wasn't she doing so? I knew firsthand she could take care of herself. As if reading my thoughts she pointed towards the gym with her pinky. When I glanced over, a panting, but angry hellhound was staring into the gym.

"Ah, yes. My transportation. He's keeping the camp under strict discipline right now," Ethan announced, noticing me looking over towards the gym. Now I understood. If Annabeth fought back, the hellhound would be picking out bones from its teeth. That infuriated me.

"What do you want Ethan?" I said, trying to sound calm, trying to not let the anger take over me.

"What do I want?" Ethan said, gritting his teeth. "I want my life back!" he yelled, grabbing Annabeth's arm and holding it tight in anger. I was confused and I was angry by the way he was grabbing Annabeth.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ethan," I said. Ethan laughed.

"Oh, I think you know. You lied to me! You told me if I stood up against Kronos everything would be better!"

"It is! And you had a choice!" I said.

"A choice? What choice did you give me?" Ethan said angrily.

"_The minor gods deserve better, Ethan, but total destruction isn't balance."_ (not mine) Ethan said in a mock voice. "Do you remember that? Huh? You tricked me." He shook Annabeth. I took a step forward.

"Ah! I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said, setting the dagger closer to Annabeth's neck. I stopped.

"Ethan, I never did anything to you. Look-" I said, pointing to all the new cabins Annabeth and the rest of the campers had constructed after Kronos was taken down. "Nemesis has a cabin. Her children have a place in Camp Half-Blood now."

"Oh, it's not that simply, Percy. This isn't about my _mother_ anymore," he said in disgust.

"This is about how you tricked me into giving my life to save Olympus. But was I even named a hero? No. I was forgotten. Left to rot in the Underworld. Do you know what it is, to be on the run for four years? No friends. No family. Just me, this dagger and all the monsters that live down in that hell," he said.

"No. You wouldn't know. You became a hero amongst camp and Olympus. You're name will be mentioned in history as the savior of Olympus. While I'm nothing but a memory, someone easily forgotten," he said, his voice becoming scary evil.

"Fine, but this is between you and me. Annabeth has nothing to do with this. Let her go." I opened my arms. "Fight me."

"I thought you'd never ask," he said, stabbing Annabeth in her side and throwing her towards the porch. She fell on the steps gasping and holding on to her side. Blood slipped through her fingers and started flowing down her side.

"No!" I screamed. I pulled out Riptide and uncapped it. Soon, I held a three foot sword in my hands. Ethan smiled as I advanced.

I struck towards his head, but he deflected it. I turned and aimed to slice him in half, but my blade was once again deflected. I took a step back.

"Four years of surviving down in the Underworld. I might've picked up a few sword-fighting skills," Ethan said cockily. "Did you think I would come unprepared?"

I feinted for his stomach and as I thought he moved his dagger to deflect it. Good, that's what I wanted. As he protected his stomach, I kicked him in the chest. He staggered backwards, but didn't seem really surprised. I spun around, crouched down and knocked his feet from under him. He fell to the ground with a grunt. I stepped up to him and put the tip of my sword to his chest. He smiled.

"You're a good fighter, Percy Jackson. But how good?" he said, twisting his legs and knocking my feet from under me. He kipped up. I stood up and saw a dagger heading for my chest. I deflected his blade, throwing my arm around his and slamming his wrist with my knee. The dagger clattered out of his hand. I then twisted his arm until it was behind his back.

"I see you've learned some new tricks as well," Ethan chuckled.

"Shut the small talk, Ethan. It's over," I said.

"Not quite, Jackson," he said. He butted me in the head and I let go from the shock. He laughed as he scooped up his knife from the dirt. He flipped it in circles over his fingers. He then turned and slashed with amazing speed and agility. His blade grazed my bicep, but did no harm. He spun and he was facing me once again. I lunged. He tried to dodge, but my sword scraped his side and ripped his shirt. He grunted in pain. Then, a faint smile grew on his face. He stepped to the side of the Big House and with his elbow he hit one of the beams.

"No!" I screamed as the entire porch collapsed on top of Annabeth. When the dust cleared, Annabeth had disappeared beneath the wreckage. She was gone. Ethan cackled.

"I got some tricks up my sleeve, Jackson. None that you would see coming," he said.

"You!" I said, falling into a trance as it dawned on me that I might never see Annabeth again, and if I did, she'd be wrapped in her shroud about to be set on fire. I shook my head and lunged. But he was expecting that. He deflected my blade once more. He kicked my hand and Riptide fell out of my hands. I stumbled backwards. I felt like I couldn't figure out what was happening. He kicked me in the chest and I fell to the ground. He pressed his foot on my chest.

"You can't kill me anyways. Remember? Achilles heel," I said. I tried to sound confident, but it was hard, knowing I might never see Annabeth again. He smiled evilly.

"I didn't forget about that, Jackson. Turn over or say goodbye to everyone in that gym," Ethan threatened. Reluctantly I flipped over and saw Riptide glinting in the grass.

"Good-bye hero."

"No!" someone yelled. The scream was then followed by a painful howl from Ethan. Taking the chance I rolled over, grabbed Riptide. When I saw Ethan, he was pulling out an arrow from his arm. Without waiting to figure out where the arrow came from I stabbed Ethan. Ethan fell to his knees. His face was contorted into hatred and anger. I stood up until I was towering over him.

"Why don't you return to where you came from," I grumbled.

"I… hate… you," he breathed as he collapsed to the ground. I capped Riptide and stuck it into my pocket. Stephen then came stumbling towards me with a bow in hand.

"Did I get him?" he asked excitedly. I glanced over at the wreckage that used to be the porch.

"Annabeth!" I yelled, running towards the mountain of debris. Stephen came up behind me. I started digging through the wood, but it was useless. Some pieces were just too heavy for me to move.

"Percy?" I heard a voice call. My head snapped up.

"Annabeth?" I replied hopefully. When I looked over, Annabeth came around the house her midsection wrapped in gauzes.

"Percy!" she said, running towards me. I opened my arms to catch her and we tumbled to the floor.

"I thought I lost you," I whispered, holding her face in my hands.

"I'm too stubborn to leave," she whispered back. "Plus, it helped that Mr. D saved me. He made a cage of vines around me before I was crushed. He had arrived just in time. But I think he regrets saving me now," Annabeth laughed. I smiled and for once I was relieved that Mr. D was around. Then, Annabeth gave me a kiss.

There was a loud howl. When we stood up and peeked around the house the hellhound was being chased by a bunch of kids from the Ares cabin. Annabeth and I laughed.

"Yeah! We won!" Stephen exclaimed.

"Yeah, buddy. We won," I said, ruffling up his hair. "Good aiming back there. You were really brave," I said. Stephen slightly blushed.

"Well… he was wearing a yellow shirt…" Stephen said, kicking the dirt. I chuckled and put my arm around Annabeth as she limped towards the gym. Chiron came out.

"By the gods! What happened here?" Chiron asked.

"We'll explain everything later," Annabeth said.

After we burned a shroud for Ethan Nakamura (something not many people were happy about considering he almost killed all of us) Annabeth and I joined Chiron and Mr. D in the Big House. We explained why he came and what had happened.

"Well, make sure it doesn't happen again, Peter Johnson," Mr. D said. He stood up and walked over to play Pac-Man.

"I'm just glad no one is hurt," Chiron said. Annabeth cleared her throat.

"I'm glad no one is hurt _badly_," Chiron corrected and Annabeth smiled. I touched Annabeth's hand.

"Well, I think we should get to work," Chiron said, wheeling himself out of the room. I creased my eyebrows in confusion.

"What work?" I asked. Chiron turned around and smiled.

"Well, aren't you getting married tomorrow?" Chiron said. He winked. I looked over at Annabeth who was smiling. She stood up and followed behind Chiron.

"Oh, and Percy, you should come out. You've got a worried Grover eating our flowers out here," Chiron said, before rolling outside. I laughed and walked outside. The rest of the day was spent preparing for a wedding that Annabeth and I both survived to fulfill. Oh, happy day.

**Thanks to everyone for the reviews! Much appreciated! I hope this chapter came out well. The fight scene was a little difficult to write, since I'm not good writing fight scenes with swords. No haters! The fight might be a little out of character for Percy, but hey, it's been four years, he might've picked up a few new tricks. hahahaha Thanks again for reading it! I hope you enjoyed it. If you've got any suggestions to make the fight last longer or make it more interesting, share and I might add a few things. I still think the fight was too short, so any suggestions are appreciated! ;)**


	8. Best Day Of Our Lives

**Well, this is the very last chapter of the story. Alas, it has come to a final close. I hope this was a good story, with a good story plot and was written well by moi. I thank all of the people who read my story, who reviewed and who added it to their favorites and/or alerts. Thanks to you all! Live a life worthy of Olympus! And remember, in our own minds and hearts we are all demigods! ;)**

8. The Best Day Of Our Lives

After Annabeth and I finished explaining everything to Chiron, Annabeth went to planning the wedding. She said she had a very complicated design to create and to be honest, that worried me just a little bit. Grover and I left to rent one of the tuxes we'd seen at that store.

"Percy, just wear the jacket with a white shirt underneath. It'll save you a lot of money if something happens-"

"What do you mean if something happens?" I interjected. Grover raised an eyebrow.

"You're Percy. Trouble is drawn to you," Grover laughed. I scoffed.

"It's also more your style. Well, here, if this jacket fits just use that with a pair of jeans. Nice jeans. If something happens, it'll cost a lot less paying for the jacket than the whole suit," Grover said. He gave me a wink as he handed me the jacket. I tried it on, a little too big. After about two more we found one that fit me perfectly. We rented it and headed back towards the camp. By the time we reached the camp again, everything was perfect. Annabeth said the wedding would be amazingly complicated, but when I saw it, it was the simplest thing I'd ever seen.

Next to what used to be Thalia's tree, was a small, delicate white arch covered in white orchids and red roses. There were a bunch of rows of white chairs. There'd have to be, with so many campers. Each chair had a tiny bow tied to the back of it. Behind the arch there were a few extra tables with white sheets over them. In the middle of each table there was a small vase with a red rose and plates of regular food.

"Percy!" someone yelled behind me.

"I'll go help," Grover whispered as he took off. I turned around to be tackled by my mom.

"I'm so happy! Why didn't you call me earlier?" she said, holding my face in her hands.

"Sally," someone laughed. "The poor boy can't breathe," Paul said, coming up behind her. Mom giggled.

"I'm sorry, Percy," she chuckled. She let go of my face and caressed my cheek.

" S'okay mom. Sorry I didn't call earlier, Annabeth and I were dealing with some problems. I'll tell you about it later. I'm really glad you came, though," I said, giving her a much needed hug.

"Hey Paul," I said giving him a high-five.

"Hey Percy," he said back.

"I'm going to go get ready now," I said, showing them the tux jacket. They nodded and I made my way to my cabin. I got dressed, slipping into a new pair of jeans, switching to my fancier pair of Reeboks and threw on my jacket. I looked in the mirror and smiled at the soon-to-be groom that was staring back at me. I was trying to put down some of my unruly hair when someone knocked at my door.

"Percy? Someone's here to see you!" Grover said. I gave up on my hair and opened the door.

"Brother!" someone said, giving me a bone-crushing hug; lifting my feet right off the ground.

"Ty-Tyson," I gasped. "Can't. Breathe."

"Oops," he said as he settled me back down.

"Hey bro, how ya doing?" I said, readjusting my jacket collar.

"Daddy let me come!" he said excitedly as he jumped up and down, clapping his hands. I laughed.

"Percy, come on," Grover said gesturing towards the door.

"Come on big guy," I said to Tyson as we walked outside. We walked down between the cabins. I noticed someone in almost full body armor, with a shield and a spear standing in front of the door of Athena's cabin; their blue eyes scanning the area.

"Thalia?" I asked. She turned me.

"Hey Percy!"

"What… are you doing dressed like that and with the spear and shield?" I asked, thoroughly confused. She snapped back into her pose.

"Keeping an eye out for those damn Aphrodite kids," Thalia said. I stifled back a laugh.

"Why…?"

Grover and Tyson continued on ahead.

"Hmph. They did _not_ like the dress Annabeth picked out. They want to drown her in pink ribbons and bows. Annabeth asked if I could keep guard for her while she changed."

"And you think you need the armor and the spear and the shield?" I asked, slightly chuckling.

"Don't let them fool you, Percy. They are sneaky little bastards," Thalia answered.

"Well, I bet Annabeth's in good hands. I'll… be going now," I said. Thalia nodded and I headed off towards the clearing. A bunch of the Aphrodite kids were adding pink bows to the tables and perky decorations. I rolled my eyes. Chiron called me into the Big House and gave me some advice about marriage. Let me tell you, that was pretty awkward. As we walked back outside we heard a strangled yell followed by a scream.

"Why you-" the yell was cut off.

"I got it, Chiron," I said as I ran towards the sound. When I got there, I almost fell to my knees in laughter. Thalia was lying on the floor with pink ribbons tied around her wrists and ankles. She had a sparkly scarf acting as a gag and some bright red lipstick and pink eye shadow. She rolled around on the floor trying to break free. She gave me the death glare, as in, if I didn't untangled her, she'd rip my guts out. I struggled with the knots that felt like a marine had made them.

"Those Aphrodite kids are stronger than they look! Damn them. Oh, I'll get them. They will so not get away with this," Thalia said. Inside the Athena's cabin I heard people struggling.

"Thalia! Help!" Annabeth's voice called out. We both ran inside, to see three Aphrodite girls standing over Annabeth. She was tied to the bed and the girls were giving her an extreme make-over.

"But you'll look so much prettier!" one of the girls, Tina, said.

"No!" Annabeth protested. I started laughing. "Percy this isn't funny! Girls, please, just let me be!" Annabeth said.

"Okay, cut it. Out! All of you!" Thalia said cutting into the groups and shooing them all out the door. The girls whined in protest, but left. Thalia released Annabeth.

"Oh! Those damn campers!" Annabeth said, grabbing a napkin and wiping off the gunk the girls had put on her face.

"The look works for you," I said to Annabeth. She glared at me.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, Percy," Annabeth said.

"Out Percy. Annabeth isn't fully dressed yet. Go," Thalia said, shoving me out the door.

"Yeah, yeah," I said as Thalia closed the door behind me. Chuckling, I walked back to the clearing. Everything was done, so I sat down on one of the white chairs.

"It seems like only yesterday you were fighting that Minotaur," someone said beside me. I almost fell off the chair from the shock.

"Dad?" I said when I saw a familiar man sitting next to me.

"Yeah, what do you think? I'm not going to miss my own son's wedding," Poseidon said, flashing me a fatherly smile. I hoped I hadn't blushed.

"Are you going to stay?" I asked hopefully. Poseidon stayed quiet for a few seconds, then he pursed his lips.

"I can't stay here physically. Your uncle wouldn't like that very much, but I will be watching. I'll try and come back for the reception. I feel like taking a small break from being a god. What do you think?" he said.

"That'd be very cool," I answered. He ruffled my hair and then whistled.

"I don't think I should keep you. I see a nice young and beautiful lady coming this way," he said, giving me a wink. He then disappeared. I saw Annabeth walking towards me. She wore a beautiful and simple white dress. The dress reached her knees and was slightly puffy. The dress had spaghetti straps and she had a small veil over her curly, blond hair. She smiled at me. Chiron blew the horn and everyone gathered at the arch and sat down.

Chiron wore a formal shirt with a tie. Was he going to marry us? Well, who else can inside a magical place where there's centaurs, demigods, et cetera. Annabeth smiled at me and walked inside the Big House with her father walking behind her. It was funny to think the only mortal people at Camp Half-Blood were our parents… and Rachel.

"You nervous?" someone said behind me. I jumped and turned to see Nico standing behind me.

"Okay, people really have to stop doing that," I said. Nico chuckled.

"Stop what?" he asked, still smiling.

"Sneaking up behind me," I said and Nico laughed.

"Get used to it," he said. "By the way, I brought along Mrs. O'Leary. Is that okay?"

I smiled. I hadn't seen Mrs. O'Leary for weeks since she was helping Nico down in the Underworld. Plus, Camp Half-Blood couldn't be her permanent home. We just couldn't make dummies as fast as she devoured them.

"That's perfect. I was beginning to miss her," I said. The conch horn blew again and a soft instrumental music began playing. I realized it was a Greek song made by a harp. It was beautiful. I stood there listening to the song as Nico sat down.

"Um… Percy?" Nico said.

"Yeah?"

"I don't know much about weddings, but I think the groom is supposed to be over there," Nico said, pointing towards the arch.

"Huh? Oh! Right! Thanks Nico," I said, before sprinting off towards the arch. I positioned myself in time as Annabeth walked out from the Big House. Chiron cleared his throat and looked at me from the corner of his eye. I just shrugged. Annabeth walked down the isle with a smile wide on her face. She looked beautiful. Her father held on to her arm as he walked down. He had smug look on his face that his daughter was getting married.

She reached the arch and her father left to sit next to his wife. I felt a little nervous, but I couldn't be happier. I took a swift glance towards the people who were sitting and watching and saw Rachel giving me the thumbs up.

"We are gathered here today," Chiron began. A few people snickered at the words so widely known; especially from those old-fashioned movies. Annabeth took a step closer to me and grabbed my hand. Her touch reassured me everything is okay and always will be okay, no matter what. Any nervousness or fear I was feeling, was gone.

"Do you, Annabeth Chase, take Perseus Jackson as your lawfully wedded husband?"

Annabeth smiled crazily. "I do."

"Do you, Perseus Jackson, take Annabeth Chase as your lawfully wedded wife?"

I took one more look at Annabeth and without glancing towards Chiron, I answered.

"I do."

"I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," Chiron said, sending me a smile. I turned to Annabeth and pulled her so close to me and gave her a kiss that felt like fireworks exploding. Everyone cheered and Mrs. O'Leary let out a howl so loud people had to cover their ears.

All of a sudden, there was a small whimper from Mrs. O'Leary. The cheering and celebrating stopped and the sound of growling filled the air. Across the clearing, in front of the cabins, three hellhounds stood. Their teeth bared and their red eyes staring straight at us. Everyone took our swords and bows and almost every other weapon from places that seemed almost impossible to hide three-foot long weapons. Annabeth reached under her dress and pulled out her knife from a cover wrapped around her thigh. Everyone got into a battling position. Even my mom and Paul and Annabeth's family had weapons in their hands. I couldn't help but stand their in shock.

"Why does everyone have a weapon on them?" I asked. A few people snickered.

"'Cause it's you, Percy. You expect us to believe that an event like this one will go off without a hitch? No way. Trouble literally seeks you out," Clarisse said, keeping her eye on the hellhounds.

"Plus, Athena is always prepared," Annabeth added.

"It's nothing personal, sweetie," my mom said. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, can't wait to figure out who summoned these fluffy monstrosities," Connor Stoll said.

"Ugh, this is Luke all over again," Travis Stoll said. I reached into my pocket and pulled out Riptide.

"Let's roll," I said, uncapping Anaklusmos.

"Charge!" Chiron yelled and we all hurtled towards the foaming hellhounds.

**THE END**


End file.
